"Going against the grain."
This phrase defines the contrarian, a person who takes up a
position opposed to that of the majority, regardless of how unpopular it may be
at the start.
In her article "Field Guide to the Contrarian" (www.pyschologytoday.com), Elizabeth Svoboda pointed out that because of their
unconventional outlook, some contrarians make important contributions to
society. Take the example of maverick Steve Jobs who revolutionized the
computer world, and ultimately our lifestyle, by rejecting the status quo. Likewise, with political figures like Mahatma Gandhi and
Martin Luther King, Jr. who both risked
their lives (and ultimately, did) to defend causes they believed in. Contrarians give their lives meaning by
attempting to change the way things are to the way they think they should
be.
In a sports known for its fierce individualism, we are bound
to find contrarians in the running world. Two such Opposium totallis are
intrepid French trail runners, Jean-Luc
Diard and Nicolas Mermoud, who founded Hoka One One (pronounced Hocha [as in
Mocha] Oh-nay Oh-nay, which means "Time to Fly" in Maori), an upstart running
brand.
Since the publishing and release of the running bestseller "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall, the minimalist approach to running shoe
design has taken off and practically been all the rage. Well-established brands
like Nike, Brooks, Saucony, Mizuno and even Asics joined the
barefoot-like running innovation
championed by the Vibram Five-fingers. Now comes Hoka which decided to go
the opposite approach to midsoles.
Starting as a trail brand, Hoka’s models put twice as much material between a
runner’s foot and the ground as many running shoes.
More is really more. And this seems to make practical
sense. Visualize the approach as like
putting big tires on trucks or bikes (ala Monster trucks) to allow rolling
right over obstacles. It makes for easier running over trail obstacles like
stones, rocks or roots. Apparently, the Hoka running shoes are also designed to
alleviate over day-to-day obstacles to
running like fatigue, impact and muscle strain, as its website
(http://hokaoneone-na.com/) claims, so that runners can be guaranteed with
freedom and enjoyment every time they run.
Would this maximalist approach really work ?
 |
| Karl Meltzer, wearing a Hoka, ran the 2,064-Mile Pony Express Trail in 40 days. |
Karl Meltzer, he of the 35 victories in 100-milers, is a
product endorser of this brand.
Obviously, he has high praises for the Hoka and even his website
(http://karlmeltzer.com/gear-reviews/) has a link for procuring a pair.
In the
running scene here in the Philippines, the first runners that I saw using the Hoka in marathon and ultra marathon action were the Bald Runner
at the 2012 Condura Skway Marathon and the Frontrunner at the 2012 Bataan Death
March 102K Ultra. Both fared much better than me in those races. Perhaps, the
shoes had something to do with it.
Only one sure way to find out if the Hoka really delivers on
its promise of "With each and every step your foot takes flight".
I better order me a pair of Hokas.
Question is which one. Hoka offers both trail running shoes and road running shoes. For the
trail, they have the Mafate and Stinson
Evo. For the road, they have Bondi and
Stinson Evo Tarmac. The difference of
these models is primarily on the hugeness of EVA volume in the midsole.
Mafate -
2.5x EVA volume
Stinson Evo & Tarmac -2.2x
EVA volume
Bondi B -
1.8x EVA volume
To be on the safe side, I opted to take the centrist
position and go for the Hoka Stinson Evo Tarmac, a road running shoe. The specific details of this Hoka are as
follow:
 |
| Hoka Stinson Evo Tarmac |
SPECIFICATIONS
SIZE RANGE:
6.5-14 (M), 6-11.5 (W)
WEIGHT:
10.4oz
DROP:
6 mm
UPPER:
•Highly
breathable, debris proof, closed mesh
•Extending
lacing for adaptable fit
•2 elastic
lace holders for customized lacing
•Light
weight tongue: foot conforming, slim, microfiber
•Reinforced
toe cap
•Flexible
molded T.P.U. support strapping/thermo-polyurethane reinforcements
•Quick
lacing system
MIDSOLE:
•2.2x
Midsole EVA Volume
•30%
softer EVA
•Profile:
Late Meta-Rocker
OUTSOLE:
•High
version, sticky rubber compound
•30% wider
Next question is how do I acquire one. There are no Hoka authorized dealers in the
Philippines, even in the whole of Southeast Asia. No problem. There is always the A Runners Circle running
store in Manila and it has access to the shoe inventory of its mother
store in Los Angeles, California. It took a phone call to Perkins in ARC Manila
and pretty soon, after a month of waiting,
I got a text from Raul Acuna, the top guy in ARC Manila, informing me that I could now get my new pair
of Hoka Stinson Evo Tarmac from their store. I wasted no time on that March weekend in getting that dear package.
The Hoka Stinson Evo Tarmac, just like other Hokas, is one
big bad mother of a running shoes. Even its box is bigger than those of "normal" running shoes. Placed beside my
Asics, Adidas and Saucony, the Hoka
pair looks like battleship amongst a
squadron of lightly-armoured destroyers.
 |
| Big is Bad. |
Trying it on for the first time, the cushioning feel is akin
to that of a Babe Ruth kind of a homer than one done by a Derek Jeter or a Mike
Piazza. It is one big blast (http://www.500hrc.com/500-hrc-articles/ruths-called-shot-among-greatest-world-series-homers.html).
Forgive me for all these hyperboles, but the Hoka Stinson
pair has that effect on me, even when
just standing still.
How about in action?
A week after acquiring it, I used my Hoka Stinson EVo Tarmac
for the first time in a race at the 2013 Mayon 360 80-km ultra marathon last
April 6 (http://www.bicolanopenguin.blogspot.com/2013/04/2013-mayon-360-ultra-running-on-empty.html). From the gunstart, I felt like flying with
the Hoka. Masiramon sa bitis. But I had to curtail my exuberance as there were
79 kms more to go. Although the heat took its toll on my cardio-vascular
endurance in the Mayon 360, the muscle fatigue was bearable and I swore I could
have used the Hoka the entire 80-kms of the road race except that at the 60-km
mark, I had to change to my Asics Cumulus as the Hoka got wet with the strong downpour of a rain. Proof
of the comfy efficacy of the Hoka was the fact that I was not limping at the
night, or even the days, after the
Mayon ultra.
The second time I got to deploy my Hoka Stinson Evo Tarmac
for a long distance run was at the Bagolatao Adventure Run last May 4 (http://www.bicolanopenguin.blogspot.com/2013/05/bagolatao-adventure-run-broke-back.html). This time, I got to utilize it for a bit of trail running as well as a portion
of the road to the seaside resort was not yet paved and was actually replete
with gravel and stones. I deliberately chose to run on the rocky portions and I
did not feel the sharp edges of the stones. In fact, I felt running faster on those portions. And my running companions were noticing it
and begun singing praises about the Hoka.
 |
| BP, on a Hoka, on the uphill road to Bagolatao |
The Hoka’s contrarian
formula of cushioning to the max (Opposium maximalis) is working. The
midsole foam is 30% softer than the material used in traditional running shoes,
and there is 2.5 times more volume than in most running shoes. The extra
cushioning dissipates up to 80% of the shock associated with heel striking when
running and allows for as much as 20mm of compression in the heel, plus extra
protection allowing the runner to soar over any surface.
In addition, the Hoka has
Rockered Midsole Geometry and ,
surprisingly for a big shoe, Low
Heel-Toe Differential: A 4mm heel to toe
drop and rockered profile creates a unique rolling motion that encourages
proper form by allowing a runner to easily strike the ground near the midfoot.
And the icing is how control
and stability are achieved with
this battleship of a running shoe. The
unique, patented bucket seat is recessed up to 20mm within the midsole unit so
as to best position your foot for optimum control. This high degree of control
also ensures you to maintain responsive contact with the ground at all times. The
outsole platform is 30% wider, providing a stable base and counterbalancing the
excess height a voluminous midsole. Coupled with thermo-polyurethane
reinforcements, provides enhanced structure and support.
Overall verdict for the Hoka is, to my mind, an excellent
buy at Php 6,500 per pair. The Hoka
Stinson Evo Tarmac delivered on its brand promise of freedom from muscle fatigue
and pure enjoyment of the long run. Hoka
users fly over the ground instead of
pounding it. Owning and wearing it
signals the mothballing of Asics and New Balance for my long distance running
experience.I am afraid that I will be using almost exclusively the Hoka for my
marathons and ultras.
Having tasted the "time to fly", there is no turning back for the Bicolano Penguin.
Icarus be damned.
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